Focus on the Living
by ManhattanFromTheSky
Summary: One shot set around season 3. L/P friendship and Peyton/Ellie. Lucas spends the evening with Peyton and Ellie and later helps Peyton come to terms with Ellie's death.


**A/N:** So this one shot was inspired by The Wind That Blew My Heart Away. It's my first time writing the L/P friendship but I couldn't resist some subtle hints. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Tree Hill or its characters.

* * *

"Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes, Peyton!" Ellie yelled up the stairs.

"Okay, coming!"

Ellie sat down on the sofa and picked up the paper work for the benefit CD. She had a head full of designs as she mentally compiled an image that she felt incorporated everything that made her daughter who she was. Peyton bounced down the stairs and sat down next to her.

"Still no title?" she asked.

"Not yet. You?"

"Nothing's really grabbing me at the moment," Peyton sighed.

Ellie threw the pad back down on the coffee table. "So how was your day?"

"It was okay. School's school you know?" Ellie nodded.

They both jumped at a bang that came from the front door. They heard a mumbled 'ow' and exchanged a look. Peyton got up and slowly walked over to the door. She opened it to find Lucas standing holding his face.

"Since when do you lock the door, Blondie? I walked straight into it," Lucas complained rubbing his nose.

Peyton laughed. "Sorry! Come in," she stepped aside and they both walked back to join Ellie, who sat with a raised eyebrow.

"I think the question is, since when do you not have the door locked?"

Peyton smiled innocently. "Well, I never hear it. I'm always upstairs with music on so it just means people like Luke can walk in whenever they want."

"Yeah, Luke and the rest of Tree Hill. You should be careful here on your own, Peyton."

"I know, but it's not an issue right now, is it? You're here," she smiled happily.

"Hey Ellie," Lucas waved.

"Hey Luke."

"So, what can I do for you? It's not often you turn up unannounced anymore," she teased.

"Oh it's like that is it?" he smirked. "Well as much as I hate being predictable, I brought these back for you. I heard you mumbling about not knowing where they were earlier. I had them," he smiled as he handed her back a pile of CDs.

"Oh, cool. Thanks Luke."

"Lucas, would you like to stay for dinner?" Ellie asked.

"If you're sure? I'll just call Brooke, she's expecting me."

Peyton panicked. "No, Luke if you have plans with Brooke you should stick to them."

"It's okay, Peyt. I see Brooke all the time. I haven't hung out with you for ages."

Peyton nodded. Ellie smiled inwardly as she watched the two blondes interact. Lucas had been the first of Peyton's friends that she had met. She took an instant liking to him. She could see how much he cared for Peyton and she was happy to know she had someone like him in her life. She had missed out on a lot of Peyton's life and it was important for her to see how others saw her daughter. She knew that Lucas saw as much potential in Peyton as Ellie did. Her days of reminding Peyton of her greatness were drawing to a close but she would rest peacefully knowing that Lucas would always make sure Peyton believed in herself.

Ellie went out to prepare dinner and Lucas sat down next to Peyton when he came back in from calling Brooke. He leaned forward and picked up the pad Ellie had held minutes earlier.

"This is awesome, Peyt. You guys have got so many cool bands on here. I'm proud of you. It's great to see you doing something you love," he smiled at her. She looked away in embarrassment and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"It's mainly, Ellie. She has all these contacts, and she's so confident. Sometimes it's like the bands are having to ask her to be a part of it," she laughed.

Lucas loved to hear Peyton laugh. She'd had so much happen to her in her life and it made him happy to see her happy. He was proud of Peyton for finally deciding to give Ellie a chance. When he first met Ellie, he could tell she was Peyton's mother. She radiated the same passion as Peyton did and as much as Peyton had disagreed at the time, she needed to get to know Ellie. And to see her now, talking about her so animatedly and with so much adoration made him smile.

"You can be so self-deprecating Peyton. Nada Surf was all you," Ellie smiled as she brought the plates in. She sat down on the other side of Peyton with her dinner on her lap. Peyton blushed and looked awkwardly at her dinner. "You really can't take a compliment can you?" she teased.

Lucas snorted in laughter and Peyton hit his chest. "No, she really can't!"

"Shut up," Peyton glared at him teasingly. "Is Brooke okay with you being here?" she looked down at her plate.

"Of course she is. You're one of my best friends Peyton. I can spend time with if I want," he assured her. "Besides, I really came here to hang out with Ellie," he laughed.

"You're such a loser, Luke," Peyton told him.

"Yeah, but you love me for it!" Peyton merely nodded and went back to her dinner.

"Hang out with me? Well I guess I'm doing better than Larry. I shouldn't expect to be threatened with a rake any time soon then?" Ellie laughed smirking at Peyton.

Lucas' jaw dropped open and he glared at Peyton. She smothered a laugh. "What?" she asked innocently. "Rake Boy," she mumbled which left Ellie and Peyton in hysterical laughter. Seeing mother and daughter laughing together broke Lucas' resolve and he joined them.

* * *

They spent the rest of the evening sharing stories. Ellie told tales from the road that left Peyton and Lucas admiring her life and envious of her experiences. Lucas managed to pay Peyton back for the rake story as they shared their summer adventures. Ellie was particularly amused at Lucas' story of surprising Peyton by arriving early one morning, only to catch her dancing around her room singing. Peyton had hit him with a pillow for embarrassing her which turned into a little war with lots of screaming and laughing. They hadn't realised how late it was until Ellie had said she was tired and she needed to rest. Lucas felt a pang as he watched Peyton's face fall ever so slightly as she was reminded of Ellie's poor health. Once Ellie had gone to bed, Peyton walked Lucas to the door. She stepped outside with him to say good night.

"Thanks for coming over tonight, Luke."

"No problem. I had fun. She's pretty cool," he said as he inclined his head inwards referring to Ellie.

Peyton nodded. "She is. I've really loved having her around these last few weeks. It's been nice to have someone here with me and not feeling so alone."

"You're not alone, Peyt," he told her as he reached out to touch her arm. "We're all here for you. You're never alone."

Peyton blinked back tears. In only a few hours she had realised how incomplete she felt when Lucas wasn't around. She blinked back tears as she felt her eyes moisten and she fought back the thoughts she'd been unconsciously pushing away for the best part of a year. She shivered in the cool breeze and wrapped her arms around herself.

"You should go in, get yourself to bed. I'll see you tomorrow." He flashed her a genuine Lucas Scott smile and her heart could not be prevented from fluttering slightly.

"Good night, Luke."

"Night, Peyt."

He stuffed his hands into his pockets as the cool night crawled over his bare arms. As he walked home he smiled to himself as the evening played over in his mind. He had genuinely had a lot of fun and he realised that he hadn't spent good quality time with Peyton since the summer they spent together. He made a promise to himself that night to make sure that once Ellie had left, he'd do everything he could to make sure Peyton didn't feel alone.

* * *

Lucas was incredibly saddened by Ellie's death. Even though, like Peyton, he knew it was coming, he was upset all the same. He feared for the effect it would have on Peyton's leaving complex and he had done all he could to be there for her over the last few weeks.

"How's Peyton doing, Lucas?" Karen asked as she dried the cups he had been washing up.

"Okay, I guess. I'm trying to get her to remember the time they did share together and not dwell on the things she regrets. She'll get there, I'll make sure of it," he replied.

Karen was touched by how determined her son sounded. She too had been worrying about how Peyton would deal with another loss. Larry had called her and asked her to keep an eye on his daughter and she'd told him that he didn't even need to ask.

A huge crack of thunder struck. Karen was so startled that she dropped the cup she was drying. A flash of lightening lit up the darkened café area.

"Another storm?" she said surprised.

Lucas was immediately reminded of the way he spent the last storm and he smiled slightly. And then he was hit with the concern he'd felt that night too; was Peyton okay alone? He became more anxious when he thought back to Peyton telling him how she had spent the night of the last storm and knew that tonight's weather would only bring back painful memories.

* * *

Within half an hour, rain was hammering at the windows and the lights in the café, as well as the whole town, had gone out. The thunder and lightening had not let up and Karen had decided they should stay put. Lucas had continued to clean up, lost in his own thoughts. A gasp from his mother pulled from his reverie and he looked up. He was as startled as Karen when he looked up towards the door of the café.

Peyton was stood outside, her face turned up to the rain. Lucas dropped the cloth he was holding to the floor.

"Ma, get some tea going will you?" he asked. Karen nodded and immediately put the kettle on before going out to the back room to find something to keep Peyton warm.

He unlocked the door quickly and ran out to her.

"Peyton?" he called but she didn't seem to hear him. She seemed surprised to see him when she stood face to face with him. Mascara ran down her cheeks and her hair was plastered to her face. "Peyton? What are you doing? It's crazy out here, come on."

She didn't put up any resistance; she just let him lead her inside. He sat her down on one of the sofas and she began to shiver. Karen rushed over with a blanket and helped her take her jacket off and Lucas went to make her a hot cup of tea.

"I'm sorry," Peyton said quietly. "I don't know how I ended up here, I just-"

"Shh, it's okay, sweetie. I'm glad you did." Karen looked at Peyton sadly as she tried to dry her dripping hair. Lucas walked back to them and set the cup down on the table. He looked up at his mother, silently directing her to leave them to talk. She nodded gently. "I've got some cleaning to do out the back, call if you need anything."

Peyton looked up and smiled her a thank you. She was still shivering and Lucas pulled the blanket around her more tightly.

"I'm sorry, Luke," she whispered.

"You don't need to apologise, Peyt," he assured her as he rubbed her arms trying to warm her. "What were you doing outside?" he asked cautiously. He knew it was important not to push her or she would throw all her walls up, but he also knew it was crucial to get her to explain what was going through her head.

"I miss her," she replied as tears fell from her eyes.

"Peyt," was all Lucas could say as he pulled her into his side. She rested her head against his shoulder.

"I wanted to feel her and be close to her like I was that night." Lucas closed his eyes and nodded his head. "I know it was stupid but I couldn't stay in the house."

"I get that, I do. But Peyt, what did Ellie tell you that night?" He knew that he needed her to understand how Ellie would want her to be.

Peyton smiled softly. "She said there's nothing to be afraid of, it's just life. And she wanted me to focus on the living."

"You owe it to Ellie never to forget that, Peyt."

"I know. I feel really stupid," she laughed, even though more tears fell. "But there's just so many things that I wish I'd had the courage to say to her. I wanted her to know that I was proud to be her daughter; to be a part of her."

"I know you didn't get the chance to tell her those things, but I think she felt them, Peyton. You let her know you and that showed her all the things you couldn't say."

Peyton looked up at him and smiled. She was still conflicted about her feelings but she pushed them aside just to be thankful that she had him as a friend. He knew the things she needed to hear, but he didn't just say them because of that. He said them because he believed them and that helped her to believe them.

"So, how about you continue to show her how proud you are to be a part of her, by doing as she would want: and live your life. Be everything that she, and all of us who love and care about you, know you can be."

He saw the shift in her feelings. The fire that had been so absent from her eyes began to spark. The guilt and the regret were fading and the desire to make her mother, both of her mothers, proud had returned.

"Thank you, Luke. You're a good friend."

The storm had begun to ease up during their talk and the lights in the café flickered back on. Peyton blinked several times as she became accustomed to the light. Karen appeared from the back of the café and smiled as she too recognised the change in Peyton.

"Will you stay with us tonight, Peyton?" she asked softly.

"It's okay. I'll be fine. I'm sorry for worrying you," Peyton answered, looking at her feet, embarrassed.

"Don't be silly, sweetheart. I'd feel better knowing that you weren't alone tonight, though. Luke can sleep on the couch," she smiled.

"Hey!" Lucas joked faking a pout which caused both Peyton and Karen to laugh. "My ma's right Peyton."

"Okay, thank you."

* * *

A little later, Peyton lay on Lucas' bed. She was on her side, her hands beneath her face, her legs pulled up slightly. Karen had run her a warm bath when they got home and Lucas had given her a pair of jogging trousers and an old Raven's tee to wear as her clothes were still wet. Lucas stood at the door, watching her. He knew there was still some way to go but she'd taken the first step in dealing with her pain. He realised he was staring and shook himself as he stepped into the room.

Peyton felt the bed dip as Lucas sat down on the other side. Her eyes fluttered open and she turned to face him.

"Hi," she smiled.

"Hi. How you doing?"

"I'll be okay. Thank you for tonight, Luke. Really."

"Any time, Peyton. I'm here for you, we all are. You should try and get some sleep. The sooner you wake up in the morning, the sooner we'll know if you've got pneumonia," he joked.

"Will you just stay there for a while? It's just that I-"

"Of course," Lucas cut her off. He didn't need her to explain he just knew.

After a few minutes, Lucas looked over at her.

"Everything's going to be okay, Peyt."

She didn't respond.

"Peyton?" he asked again quietly. There was still no answer and he leaned over slightly. She was breathing evenly and resting peacefully. He pulled the bed covers over her and looked at her face for a moment longer than he probably should have. It took more will power than he would dare to admit not to lay with her and keep her safe all night. Slowly and silently, he stood from the bed. He turned back to look at her one last time and took a deep breath before turning the light out and closing the door quietly.


End file.
